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                           Astronomy Picture of the Day   
      
       Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our   
         fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation   
                       written by a professional astronomer.   
      
                                    2023 May 30   
       An expansive interstellar gas cloud is shown with an orange interior   
           and outer blue filaments. Many stars are visible in the dark   
       background. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.   
      
                             M27: The Dumbbell Nebula   
                   Image Credit & Copyright: Patrick A. Cosgrove   
      
      Explanation: Is this what will become of our Sun? Quite possibly. The   
      first hint of our Sun's future was discovered inadvertently in 1764. At   
      that time, Charles Messier was compiling a list of diffuse objects not   
      to be confused with comets. The 27th object on Messier's list, now   
      known as M27 or the Dumbbell Nebula, is a planetary nebula, one of the   
      brightest planetary nebulae on the sky and visible with binoculars   
      toward the constellation of the Fox (Vulpecula). It takes light about   
      1000 years to reach us from M27, featured here in colors emitted by   
      sulfur (red), hydrogen (green) and oxygen (blue). We now know that in   
      about 6 billion years, our Sun will shed its outer gases into a   
      planetary nebula like M27, while its remaining center will become an   
      X-ray hot white dwarf star. Understanding the physics and significance   
      of M27 was well beyond 18th century science, though. Even today, many   
      things remain mysterious about planetary nebulas, including how their   
      intricate shapes are created.   
      
                      Tomorrow's picture: watch a galaxy form   
        __________________________________________________________________   
      
          Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)   
               NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.   
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                         A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,   
                              NASA Science Activation   
                                & Michigan Tech. U.   
      
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